First up were the AAA Sound Seismic Earthquakes, who took on NE Kumon U-Village Midnight Runners. True to their moniker, the Earthquakes hit the home team like a force of nature. Kumon –who through out the course of the season had scored no fewer than ten runs per game — were completely stymied by the Earthquake defense. On the mound for the entire game, hurler Bella “Ice” Jackson schooled the opponents by throwing a no-hitter with a total of 14 strikeouts. Yet Kumon fought back valiantly; NE’s pitcher Hanna Lanfear gave up only two hits and two runs throughout the course of the matchup. Indeed, the championship was essentially a pitcher’s duel, with hurlers on both sides fanning batters. At the top of the third however, Seismic slugger Victoria McSmith got a hold of a fastball to drive a 2 RBI single. McSmith’s inning-buster sealed the deal; the best chance for Kumon scoring came in the bottom of the 4th but an alert Grace Munday manning first base made a routine tag, then quickly relayed the ball back to Seismic catcher Kaia Simpson to turn a double-play and stomp on Kumon hopes for a comeback. Final score: 2-0

Buckley’s clean-up batter Morgan Cameron drew first blood at the bottom of the 1st, swatting a two run triple-bagger to left, and then stealing home to end the frame with a three run lead. The Falcons rebounded in the top of the second though, knotting up the score by pressing the advantage on fielding jitters and an earned run. Buckley’s pitcher Sophie Young found her stride however; with the go-ahead run on third, Young caught a batter swinging to close down the trouble. The Falcons again threatened to go ahead in the top of the fourth, but “You shall not pass!” Cameron tagged an over-confident runner at home, thwarting the visitor’s would-be rally. The stalemate was broken at the bottom of the 4th with a heroic Vlasta Schutzenhofer chop to third that drove in two Buckley’s teammates. Unfortunately, the lead looked tenuous by the top of the fifth; Megan Quigley-McAllister on the mound for Buckley’s found herself in a jam with no outs, and bases loaded. While the fans popped antacids, Quigley-McAllister (working in tandem with Cameron, who didn’t let a single ball get past her), coolly struck out three successive batters to preserve the lead. Then again in the 6th, Quigley-McAllister threw a 1-2-3 frame to clinch the title. Final score: 3-5.